


Am I dreaming (Or is this burning an eternal flame)

by Sparklyfairymira (myonetruelove)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, F/M, Frikdreina, Mutants, Other, Post-Apocalypse, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Telepathy, el dorado
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25866403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myonetruelove/pseuds/Sparklyfairymira
Summary: A post-apocalyptic story of soulmates.Murphy never thought he'd meet his soulmate - let alone find out he had two. But that's just what he does while he and Bellamy searched for Octavia. And now he's expected to help save the world? This was not how he was expecting his life to go.
Relationships: Emori/John Murphy/Raven Reyes
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27
Collections: Chopped 3.0 Round 4





	Am I dreaming (Or is this burning an eternal flame)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my entry for the final round of Chopped 3.0. The theme for this final found was the author's choice and I chose Post-Apocalyptic. Tropes were as follows:  
> *Trope 1: El Dorado  
> *Trope 2: Frikdreina  
> *Trope 3: Telepathy  
> *Trope 4: Author’s Choice! (Soulmates)
> 
> I hope that you like what I've written, please feel free to leave kudos and comments as I live on them. There is a good possibility of this turning into a series as I have a lot more ideas. Is there something you'd like to see? Let me know!
> 
> The title is from "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles because I have an obsession with 80's music.
> 
> Please check out all the other stories written by the amazing finalists [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Chopped_3_Round_4) and I will update with a link to the voting when I can.
> 
> Voting is [HERE](https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GRF7WB7) and going on until 8/17 @11:59pm

_It’s been 99 years since the virus wiped out 75% of the population. Those that were left thought that they were safe—that everything would be okay, but they were wrong. When the survivors decided that it was time to try to repopulate the world, they found out just how wrong they were. Every child that was born after the virus was born with mutations—both a physical and a mental mutation—at least that’s what they called them. The mental mutations were powers unlike anything they had seen before except in fiction. Telepathy. Telekinesis. The ability to control fire or earth. And each generation born since has been born the same way._

_But they’re not just born with mutations, but with markings on their skin. Beautiful pieces of art with only part of it in color until they meet the person that is their other half and then the marking fully colors so that they match their soulmates once they touch. Or so they say. I’ve never seen anyone with a fully colored mark. Maybe it’s just another lie spun to make us feel better about the hell that we live in._

_With so few people remaining in the world, society began to fall. The internet was the first thing to go and the power grid fell shortly after. Cities fell to scavengers and the world to chaos. Tech became the new currency. Villages formed around the fallen cities as people tried to create societies again_ — _all while trying to survive the scavengers._

_Now we’re cockroaches just trying to survive. The rumor is that there is a city filled with tech—including tech that can fix our mutations. Most don’t believe that it’s real and others just don’t care. Me? I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t exist, but I can’t let Bellamy go searching for Octavia on his own. He’s too trusting—he’d die out here on his own. It’s been two months since she left and we’ve been trailing her ever since. It feels like we’re never going to find her and maybe we won’t, but I can’t tell him that can I? If we don’t find her—and alive—I don’t think Bellamy can take it._

_I don’t know why I keep writing in this stupid journal. It’s not like anyone is ever going to read it and if they do why would they care what I have to say. I’m no one—I’m nothing. Just another cockroach trying to survive in a world that doesn’t want me to survive._

Murphy closes the notebook as he glances at Bellamy, who is staring into the fire. He doesn’t think that they’ll ever find the mystery City of Light. No matter what Octavia’s note had said, he doesn’t believe that it exists.

Murphy sighs as he remembers the night that she’d left them with nothing but a note to let them know where she’d gone. Bellamy’s yelling had woken him up as he’d screamed her name. Murphy had found him on his knees outside of his tent, staring at the place that Octavia’s tent had always stood. It—and she—were gone. 

Tears had run down Bellamy’s face as he’d clutched a paper in his hand. It hadn’t taken much for Murphy to pull it free and he’d been both hurt and disappointed when he’d read what she wrote.

_I met my soulmate—Lincoln. He says the City of Light is real, so he’s taking me there. I’m sorry to leave in the middle of the night, but I knew what you would say. I love you, Bell, but I need to do this. Don’t try and find me because you won’t. Try not to be too mad. And tell Murphy I love him._

_-O_

As soon as Murphy had read the letter, he’d known that they would be following her—and he knew that Octavia had known that they would follow. Sometimes he wonders if she’d made sure to tell them not to come so that they would follow her. But until they find her, he can’t be sure. 

He watches as Bellamy’s black wings flex on his back. He wonders what it would be like to be able to fly, but then again, he’s often wondered what it would be like to be Bellamy. The man with wings and superspeed. It made him a great scout for their missions when they went scavenging. Murphy’s slitted snake eyes aren’t nearly as cool as Bellamy’s wings, but he likes the way they look in his face. It just seems right. His power is telekinesis and has often come in handy. The ability to be able to lift things with his mind has made it easier to move anything that would be too heavy for them to carry. 

Murphy tosses his journal into his bag, back stiffening as he hears a branch snap in the distance. Damn it. He knew making a fire had been a bad idea. He opens his mouth to warn Bellamy, but there is already a gun at the back of his head. Fuck. 

“I’d recommend not moving.” The voice is feminine.

Murphy turns his head slowly to find a man holding a gun to the back of Bellamy’s head and a group of four other people stepping into the firelight. “What do you want?”

“We want whatever you have.” Another voice, another female. She steps into the light and Murphy is struck by her beauty. Which, not really the time, but damn. 

“We don’t have much, but take it and leave us alone,” Bellamy’s voice is gruff as his eyes meet Murphy’s—a warning. Bellamy knows him too well. He knows that Murphy will always take the opportunity to fight, but neither of them is bulletproof. 

Murphy holds in his sigh as he considers their options. What are the chances that the guns are loaded? Ammo is hard to come by. He knows because he has a gun that was handed down from generation to generation until it ended up in his hands. He has precisely two bullets and hasn’t been able to find any additional ammo.

_“I wouldn’t try that.”_ The words are just a whisper in his head, and he realizes that it’s the second woman who had spoken. Fucking telepaths. Reading minds isn’t fair. 

Murphy holds his hands up in surrender as his eyes meet hers. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“I can do whatever I damn well please.” The woman walks over, the fire dancing in her eyes and over her sleek brown hair. She kneels in front of him, hand reaching out to touch his face briefly. 

Murphy lets out a hiss as his bicep burns. Seriously? _She_ is his soulmate? On second thought, that makes sense. Badass thief telepath seems pretty on-brand for him. 

The girl jerks back her hand as she pulls up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing a misshapen hand—a slightly larger than an average thumb and what looks like two deformed fingers but is two sets of fused fingers. But Murphy’s eyes are drawn to the mark on her forearm—much easier to see than his mark. The black outline of a lightbulb with an outline of water and a bright red rose inside of it. As they both watch, the water begins to color—as they are on his arm. But that’s it. The lightbulb is still lacking in color. How is that possible? When your soulmate touches you, the entirety of the mark is supposed to be colored. And he knows that neither the rose nor the lightbulb has colors on his mark—well, he assumes that the rose will now be colored.

“I thought they were just stories.” The girl at his back whispers as the gun falls from his head. “I didn’t think anyone could have more than one soulmate.”

“What? More than one soulmate? What the hell are you talking about?” Murphy’s head spins between the two women that surround him.

The woman in front of him smirks. “It means that you and I are soulmates, but we have a third one as well.”

“Well, aren’t we just lucky then?” Murphy shakes his head. “So, does this mean that you’re going to let us go?”

“Fuck no, we’re not.” One of the men finally speaks.

_“Do everything I say, or you will die here.”_ Her words are a whisper inside of his head once again as she stands quickly, eyes meeting his for just a moment.

_“What is your name?”_ Murphy doesn’t know exactly how telepathy works, but he knows that she should be able to read his mind.

_“Emori.”_

Emori. He likes the sound of that. He grins for a second as his eyes meet Bellamy’s, but he sobers quickly. Right. They could die right now. He gives Bellamy a quick shake of his head before his eyes turn back to watch Emori approach the man who spoke. They speak in a language he doesn’t understand—although it sounds similar to English but different. 

_“He is demanding that we kill you and take everything you have. I’d rather not lose one of my two soulmates the same night I met them, so I’m going to need you to use your telekinesis to knock the guns from everyone’s hands.”_ Emori pauses for just a moment, and Murphy doesn’t know if it’s because she’s focusing on the conversation she is having aloud or if it’s over. _“What can your friend do?”_

Murphy focuses on a memory of Bellamy as he sped around a village at night, quickly grabbing what they needed before lifting them both off into the air with his wings. He focuses all of his thoughts on that one memory hoping that it would show her what she needs to see.

_“Excellent. I’m going to blast them with my mind. It will distract them. You knock the guns away from them and can he lift both of us?”_

_“He can. He’s faster when he’s running so he won’t carry us far in the sky.”_ Murphy tightens his hold on his backpack as his eyes meet Bellamy’s before shifting upward for a moment and then returning to Bellamy’s.

Bellamy raises his eyebrows as Murphy’s eyes slide to Emori and then back to Bellamy. Bellamy rolls his eyes but gives him a nod. They’ve known each other all of their lives, so Murphy knows that he understands.

Murphy turns his attention back to Emori and watches as she stills for a moment before the group that she had arrived with all hunch over in obvious pain. Murphy reaches out with his mind and grabs hold of the guns, ripping them from the hands that hold them before throwing them off far into the night. He sprints toward Bellamy, reaching him at the same time as Emori. Bellamy has already pulled his backpack on as his arms go around them, and into the sky they fly.

Emori lets out a squeal as they shoot up, which causes Murphy to smile. He’s sure that he had a similar reaction the first time that he had flown with Murphy. _“You haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until he runs with us.”_

Murphy laughs as her face pales. He leans close to Bellamy so that he will be able to hear him over the wind. “Don’t fly too far. Just far enough so that they can’t get to us before you run.”

Bellamy gives a slight nod as he straightens them out to fly a bit further away now that they’re high enough in the sky that it’s unlikely that the others can see them. He doesn’t speak, but Murphy knows that is because he is having to focus all of his energy on making sure that he doesn’t drop them. Bellamy is stronger than most people, which is the only reason he can take both of them, but he knows that it is a strain on his body.

A few seconds later, they begin their descent and as soon as they land, Murphy is winding his arms around Bellamy’s waist. Bellamy turns to look at Emori. “Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on. If you let go, you will die.”

Emori gives him a small nod before following his instructions, and then they’re on their way. The scenery rushes by them—it used to make him sick, but now Murphy likes it. He loves the feeling of the wind on his face. It’s a lot like flying with Bellamy except that it’s on the ground and not in the air.

Eventually, Bellamy slows until they come to a stop. Emori quickly pulls away from them and promptly throws up. 

“Sorry about that.” Bellamy shrugs. “Guess I should’ve warned you about that.”

Emori looks up, wiping her mouth. “All good. I knew it was going to happen. I saw it in both of your minds.”

“You’re a telepath. That makes sense.” Bellamy laughs as he looks between Murphy and Emori. “Guess it makes sense that you’re soulmates. Only a woman that could read your mind could be your soulmate.” He pauses. “Did I hear the other girl correctly? Your tattoos didn’t color in completely?”

Murphy pushes up the sleeve of his shirt to glance at his bicep. “Nope, the lightbulb is still just an outline on both of ours.

“Huh.” Bellamy shakes his head. “So even with it comes to soulmates, you have to make it complicated Murphy?”

“Shut up, man.” Murphy turns to look at Emori, extending his hand to her. “Murphy. Well, it’s John, but everyone calls me Murphy.”

Emori slips her unmutated hand into his. “It’s nice to meet you, John.”

Bellamy clears his throat when they don’t immediately drop hands, just staring at one another. “I’m Bellamy, and I didn’t catch your name?”

Emori grins at him before dropping his hand. “Emori. Thanks for the quick getaway.” She pauses as she looks between the two of them. “And just a warning, fires in this area at night are the best way to die. The scavengers in this area hunt solely at night specifically to catch those who are dumb enough to start a fire.”

“Oh, you mean a scavenger like you?” Bellamy’s voice isn’t judging when he asks the question, but Murphy isn’t sure that Emori will know that.

Emori nods. “Yeah, I guess like me. Look, I didn’t want to be a scavenger, but my brother was and he was all the family I had. When he died, they let me stay. It was that or be on my own, so I stayed.”

“Makes sense.” Murphy shrugs. “We do what we have to do to survive.”

Bellamy reaches out and squeezes her shoulder. “I wasn’t judging. But thanks for making sure we didn’t die back there.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Murphy grins. “I really do prefer to continue living.”

Emori doesn’t say anything for a moment, but when she does, she asks quietly, “So _why_ are you out here? Everyone knows that there are more scavengers in this area.”

“Oh, we know. But his sister,” Murphy jerks his head in Bellamy’s direction, “decided to run off with her soulmate that neither of us has met to the magical City of Lights.”

Emori’s eyes widen. “You guys are looking for the City of Lights?”

Murphy nods slowly. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Do you know something about the City of Lights?” Bellamy steps closer to Emori. “If you do, please tell us. I _have_ to find my sister.”

“How about we stay here overnight, and then in the morning, I can share the information I have and then we can go from there?” Emori’s eyes meet Murphy’s, begging him for something—but he doesn’t know what. Finally, she speaks in his head, _“I want to help, but we can’t do this tonight. It’s deadly out here at night. Please trust me.”_

Murphy nods his understanding before turning to Bellamy. “We were planning to rest for the night anyway. It won’t do anyone any good if we’re exhausted. I know you want to find O, but we _have_ to take care of ourselves as well.”

Bellamy looks like he’s going to argue for a moment before he drops his head. “You’re right. I know that you’re right. I just want to find her. It’s been months. She could be dead for all I know.”

“She’s not dead.” Murphy reaches out and squeezes Bellamy’s arm. “She’s Octavia. She can take care of herself. We made sure of that. Trust in that.”

Bellamy nods. “I know. I’ll set up the tents.” He glances toward Emori. “We only have two. You guys figure out the sleeping arrangements while I get them set up, yeah?”

Murphy watches him walk away and begin setting up the tents before turning to Emori. “Bellamy and I can share so that you can have your own.”

“So, you _don’t_ want to share a tent with your soulmate?” Emori tilts her head.

“That is _definitely_ not what I was saying,” Murphy stutters, breaking off when Emori laughs. “You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?”

“Definitely.” Emori smiles. “But on a more serious note, I’m smaller than Bellamy. You and I will probably fit in a tent together better than you and Bellamy.”

Murphy considers her for a moment before nodding slowly. “That is probably true.”

“But I want you to know, I sleep with a knife under my pillow, so try anything, and I’ll kill you.” Emori’s face is serious, and Murphy can’t tell if she is joking or not. But he’s leaning more towards her being serious.

“I can get behind that.” Murphy shoots her a grin. “I can keep my hands to myself.”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Emori slowly returns his smile. 

“So did you guys figure it out?” Bellamy asks as he approaches. 

Murphy nods. “Don’t worry—you still get your own tent. I know how you hate sharing.”

Bellamy laughs. “Right, because I didn’t share a tent with O for like ten years.” 

“Exactly, so why should you have to share now?” Murphy throws an arm around Bellamy’s shoulders. “Emori already told me that she sleeps with a knife so she’ll kill me if I try anything. Perfect woman, am I right?”

Bellamy shoves Murphy away from him as he laughs. “Of course _you_ think that’s what makes a perfect woman. Sometimes I worry about you.” He shakes his head as he starts to head toward the tents. “I’m going to bed. I’ll hopefully see you guys both in the morning. Ya know, alive?”

“After you, milady.” Murphy sweeps his arms in the direction of the tents, grinning when Emori lets out a laugh. He follows behind her, wondering what the next day would bring.

* * *

Murphy wakes slowly, warmer than usual at this time of the year. It’s nearing winter, and there’s often a chill in the air over the desert at nights, but he’s warm—bordering on hot. He blinks against the soft light drifting through the material of the tent before focusing on the woman in his arms. Emori.

She had not been in his arms when they’d gone to sleep the night before, but he doesn’t complain as she curls further into him for a moment before stiffening. “Morning, and don’t worry, I understand that you just couldn’t resist me in your sleep. It’s okay. It’s a normal reaction.”

Emori rolls over onto her back as she laughs. “Yeah, okay. Because it could have nothing to do with the fact that it was cold, right?”

“Ha! Of course not. Don’t try and blame your body’s betrayal on the weather.” Murphy grins, head turning when he hears a noise outside of the tent. “Better get up, Bellamy is going to want to hear what you have to say as soon as possible.” 

Emori sits up slowly, rubbing her face with her right hand before nodding. “Yeah, okay.”

Murphy watches as she crawls out of the tent, but remains laying there for a moment longer. He’s met his soulmate—well, one of his soulmates. Now he’s met one of two people that are supposed to complete him. What the hell is he supposed to do with that? What does Emori expect from him? Hopefully, not too much because he’s likely to disappoint her, and he doesn’t want to do that. And to think that just the night before, he had been questioning if soulmates were real.

“You coming?” Emori sticks her head back in the tent.

“Uh yeah.” Murphy sits up quickly, throwing on a clean shirt before following her. Bellamy is sitting beside a small fire cooking what appears to be a rabbit. “Damn, Blake. You got us breakfast? What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because it was my turn to get us breakfast?” Bellamy’s face is unamused as he turns to meet Murphy’s eyes. “Glad you decided to pull your ass out of bed finally.” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I decided to lie down for an extra 5 minutes. Sue me, why don’t you?” Murphy rolls his eyes as he plops down beside the fire. It looks like Bellamy is in one of his moods, just what Murphy needs right now. “Oh wait, there’s no legal system or lawyers so you can’t.”

“What the hell do you know about legal systems and lawyers?” Bellamy scoffs as he keeps his attention on the rabbit.

Murphy sighs. “The same things you do, seeing as I’ve read the same damn books you have. So get the hell off your high horse. I don’t know what crawled up your ass this morning, but kindly remove it—I have zero interest in dealing with you when you’re acting like this.”

“So then leave. I don’t know why the hell you’re here anyway!” Bellamy roars.

Murphy sucks on his teeth as he nods. “Okay, sure. Fuck you, Blake.” Murphy stands and heads toward his tent.

_“He’s worried about his sister,”_ Emori’s voice slides into his mind causing him to pause. _“His mind is a mess. I couldn’t block him out if I wanted to. He’s afraid that he’s going to lose you the way that he’s lost her and there will be nothing he can do to stop it. So he’s pushing you away before that can happen.”_

Murphy glances over his shoulder at Emori to see her staring at him with a blank face. So she doesn’t want Bellamy to know how badly he’s broadcasting. Well, that’s too fucking bad. Because he’s not going to play these games with his best friend. He shakes his head before turning back to Bellamy. “No.”

Bellamy glances at him, brow burrowed. “No? No, what?”

“No, I’m not going to let you push me away. I’m not leaving because you’re being a dick so just knock it off.” Murphy walks over and kicks Bellamy’s foot. “I’m in this with you till the end—no matter what that end is. So knock it off.”

“God damn it, Murphy, what if something happens to you?” Bellamy looks back to the rabbit.

“Then, something happens and you’ll figure out how to save me just like we’re doing for Octavia.” Murphy sinks down next to Bellamy, knocking his shoulder against the other man’s. “Plus, my soulmate seems to know something about the City of Lights, so maybe we should find out what that is.”

Bellamy’s attention turns to Emori. “I didn’t want to be an ass and just ask about that first thing. It seemed rude.”

“That seemed rude?” Murphy throws back his head as he laughs. “But being an ass to me first thing in the morning to try and ‘save’ me doesn’t? Jesus, Bellamy. Get your shit together.”

Emori leans forward, elbows on her knees as she looks between the two of them. “I’ve never been there myself.” She holds up a hand when Bellamy starts to cut in. “I’ve traded with one of the guys there before. Monty. He’s some sort of genius. He pays me in food and ammo for any tech I find. He told me that they’re always moving, and that’s why no one can ever find them, but I know how to get him to meet me.”

“Really?” Bellamy lets go of the stick that the rabbit is on, and it’s only Murphy’s fast reflexes that keep their breakfast from being ruined. “What do we need to do? When can we meet them?”

Emori reaches into her bag and pulls out a piece of tech that Murphy has never seen before. It’s slightly larger than the palm of her hand and has buttons along the side, an antenna on the top, and some kind of knob. “What the fuck is that?” he asks as he checks the rabbit to find that it’s fully cooked.

“It’s called a radio. It’s how we communicate.” Emori pushes a button and the radio lets out a squawk that causes both Bellamy and Murphy to jump. She lets out a small laugh as she shakes her head. “Calm down, will you?” She holds it up to her mouth as she pushes in one of the buttons on the side. “M? This is E.”

For a few seconds, there is only a light static before a voice comes through. “Hey E. You got something for me?”

Emori eyes the two of them for a second. “I have two guys here that are looking for you guys. One of them says their sister is with you and he’s trying to find her.”

“Let me guess? Bellamy?” 

Emori laughs. “So I take it that means his sister is there?”

“She is. She said he might end up out this way, but we didn’t think he had a chance of finding us. Interesting that they found you.”

“Well, that’s a long story in and of itself. Are you going to head out to get us?” Emori meets Murphy’s eyes as she speaks.

“Are you coming back with them?”

Emori’s eyes stay locked on his. “Sure, why not? Maybe it’s time I finally see this wonderful city of yours.” 

“Alright. Turn the beacon on. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Over and out.”

“Beacon?” Murphy questions as he begins to tear apart the rabbit so that he can split it between the three of them.

Emori holds up another piece of tech that fits in the palm of her hand with a small flashing red light in the center. “When I activate it, they can find me.”

“Well, that’s convenient.” Murphy hands Emori a portion of the rabbit before giving Bellamy his share. Then he quickly devours his own. It’s not great—out of the two of them, Murphy is by far the superior cook, but it’s decent. 

When they finish eating, there’s nothing to do but wait. Murphy spends his time getting to know Emori better. He finds out that her brother’s name was Otan, and he’d practically raised Emori, which allows them to bring Bellamy into the conversation. Murphy spends much of the conversation smirking as Emori explains what it’s like to be the little sister raised by her big brother—it’s all the things he’s said to Bellamy over the past few years, but he hasn’t bothered to listen to. 

The sun is beginning to dip below the horizon when Murphy hears the rumbling of an engine. He’s on his feet seconds, drawing his gun from it’s resting place in his waistband. Functioning vehicles are few and far between—mostly used by the scavengers that they’re trying to avoid.

Emori touches his arm softly, drawing his attention to her. “It’s okay. It’s probably Monty. How else do you think he’s going to get us to the City of Lights?”

Murphy’s eyes flit to Bellamy to see that he has also tensed up. Bellamy offers him a shrug, but his body seems to relax. 

“It better be Monty, or else we’re dead.” Murphy shakes his head as he tucks the gun back into his waistband. What the hell are they doing? They’re trusting Emori, who they’ve known for less than a day to bring them to a place that he hadn’t even believed existed. And now they’re trusting some guy that she says lives in the city, but how can they know that for sure?

“Are you always this distrustful?” Emori whispers as she leans closer to him.

Damn it. And she’s a fucking telepath which means she always knows what he’s thinking. That will make for an exciting relationship. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Emori grins up at him. “Then I think we’ll get along just fine.” She steps forward as the vehicle slows to a stop about 50 feet in front of them. She waves her hand. “Hey, Monty!”

A thin Asian boy with pointed ears hops out of the Rover, a grin on his face. “Good to see you, Emori!”

The passenger door flies open and there is a flash of dark hair and blue skin before Bellamy is moving at lightning speed toward the Rover. The Blake siblings crash into one another, and Bellamy swings Octavia around in a circle.

“You idiot. I told you not to look for me.” Octavia grins up at Bellamy as Murphy makes his way over to them.

“Yeah, because you telling me _not_ to look for you was going to make me not do it.” Murphy can almost hear Bellamy’s eye roll. “You could’ve been kidnapped and forced to write the note for all I knew.”

“Seriously, Little Blake,” Murphy smirks as he pulls her in for a hug. “You’ve known your brother for your entire life. You _knew_ he was going to come looking for you.”

Octavia shrugs. “Maybe.” She elbows Murphy in the side. “But I wasn’t expecting _you_ to be here.”

“And let Bellamy go off and get himself killed or something? Nah, can’t have that on my conscious.” Murphy locks his arm around Octavia’s neck and begins to muss up her hair as she struggles against his hold. When she suddenly disappears, he laughs. “I’m already holding onto you, you idiot. I still know where you are. Shit!” Murphy drops his hold as Octavia lands a kick against his knee. 

Octavia is laughing as she reappears. “Yes, but you can’t see what else I’m doing, now can you?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Murphy rubs his knee, turning when Emori clears her throat from behind him. “Emori, this is Octavia, Bellamy’s little sister. O, this is Emori—one of my soulmates.”

Octavia’s head jerks as she turns to him, eyes wide. “I’m sorry. Did you just say _one_ of your soulmates?”

“Is it really _that_ surprising, O?” Bellamy laughs. “This is Murphy we’re talking about—when has he ever been simple? Normal?”

Octavia laughs as she steps toward Emori, hand outstretched. “That’s a true story. It’s nice to meet you, and I’m sorry you’re stuck with this asshole for a soulmate.”

Emori shakes her hand before shrugging. “I’m an asshole, too, so I’m sure we’ll be just fine.”

“I like you.” Octavia’s smile is contagious as she turns to Monty. “Monty, this is my brother Bellamy, and this is the pain in my ass, Murphy. Guys, this is Monty.” 

Monty steps forward, only slightly hesitant. “It’s nice to meet you. I’d shake your hand, but I’m an empath, so I’m not big on touching others if I don’t have to.” When he talks, Murphy can see that a mouth filled with the sharp teeth of a predator.

“We get it.” Bellamy nods. “Thank you for coming out to get us. I really needed to see for myself that O was okay. And I _really_ need to meet this soulmate of hers that she thought it was a good idea to run off with.”

“Yeah, I haven’t decided if you should meet him or not.” Octavia shakes her head. “Until I’m sure you’re going to behave, you’re not meeting him.”

Murphy lets out a loud laugh. “Oh, this is going to be great.”

“We need to be heading back. It’s getting dark, and the Rover is likely to gain attention that we don’t want to deal with if we don’t have to.” Monty starts walking to the Rover. “It’s a long drive, so settle in. There’s plenty of room in the back. There are benches if you want to take a nap or whatever.”

Murphy follows the Blake to the back of the Rover, glancing over his shoulder at Emori, who has paused at the passenger side door. “You gonna ride up front with Monty?”

Emori glances into the cab of the Rover before turning back to him. “Well, I don’t want him to have to ride by himself.”

“He’ll be fine,” Octavia calls. “Honestly, it’ll be easier for him without anyone up there to distract him. Come ride back here with us.”

Emori glances at Monty once more before shrugging and heading to the back of the Rover. Murphy climbs up before turning around and offering Emori his hand. She hesitates for a moment before sliding her own hand into his and allowing him to help her up.

“Dammmmn. So all it takes for Murphy to be a halfway decent person is to get a soulmate?” Octavia is laughing from her seat next to Bellamy. “I can’t wait until you meet your other soulmate, you’re going to be such a fucking sap.”

“Shut up, Little Blake.” Murphy’s face heats up, and he knows that he’s blushing. Damn it. 

“Thank you, John.” Emori leans over to press a kiss to his cheek before moving past him to settle onto the bench opposite the Blakes.

Murphy knows he’s grinning like an idiot as he pulls the door shut before going to sit down next to her. Maybe having a soulmate won’t be so bad.

* * *

Murphy jerks awake as the Rover stops moving. He shakes his head to try and get rid of the sleep. He brushes a hand across Emori’s hair. She’d fallen asleep before he had curled up on the bench with her head in his lap. “I think we’re here, Emori.”

When Murphy glances up at the Blakes, he can see the laughter in Octavia’s eyes. “We are.” She grins as she turns to Bellamy. “Are you guys ready to see the City of Lights?”

Murphy will admit to himself (and obviously Emori since she can read his thoughts) that he’s curious. He doesn’t know what to expect. He leans over to glance out as Octavia throws the back doors open, but all he sees is blackness.

Octavia turns to face them once she’s out of the Rover and rolls her eyes. “We’ve parked inside a garage, idiots—you have to get out first.”

Murphy grumbles as he follows Octavia. “Well, you didn’t say that now did you?”

Murphy pauses when he feels a small hand slide into his. Glancing over his shoulder, he finds Emori smiling up at him timidly. He squeezes her hand and nods to her before continuing, knowing that Bellamy will bring up the rear. 

When Octavia pushes open the door, Murphy has to shield his eyes from the bright lights. He knows that it should still be dark out based upon how long the drive was, but it was like it was daylight outside. 

He blinks his eyes a few times as he steps out and realizes that it’s not sunlight, but _actual_ lights. He turns to Octavia, eyes wide. “How?”

“They have electricity.” Octavia shrugs. “One of the guys has an electricity power, so he keeps us running.”

Bellamy moves up to stand next to him, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it.”

Set out before them isn’t what Murphy imagines a city from before the virus looked. He’s been to the ruins of a few of the cities, and they had tall buildings close together, houses of all sizes. This looks nothing like that—this “city” is nothing but of vehicles. There are cars and trucks. There are more Rovers. There are huge semi-trucks and there are campers. It’s not massive like the cities from before the virus, but if Murphy has to guess, he’d say they continue for maybe a mile. He’s never seen this many vehicles before—let alone all in one place.

“Crazy, right?”

“Yeah…..” Emori sounds dazed as she looks around. 

“How do you not get found with all of these lights?” Bellamy glances at his sister.

Monty is the one that answers. “There’s a shield surrounding us. It’s the power of another of the people who live here. The shield cloaks us, and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you just see more of the same desert and it keeps in all of the light. It’s how we stay hidden.”

A tall, broad man with hair brushing his shoulders with skin made of ice steps into their view. “So, these are the newbies?”

Octavia nods. “My brother, Bellamy. Murphy and his soulmate Emori.”

“I’m Roan.” He extends his hand, which Bellamy shakes before Murphy follows suit. “I’m the current leader of the City of Lights. I’m sure that you have questions. It’ll be a little while until everyone else is up and about. We’ve got a camper set up for you if the three of you would like to sleep for a bit or freshen up. Breakfast is in a few hours, and you can meet some of my team. Octavia, will you show them to the camper beside yours?”

Octavia nods excitedly as she waves for them to follow her. “There’s an actual shower in the campers. It’s heavenly.” She leads them through vehicles before coming to a stop in front of a camper. “This one is for you guys. They’re putting you all in one for now so that you’re easier to keep track of.” She laughs before nodding to the one to the right of theirs. “That’s mine and Lincolns. We’ve got about 4 hours until Roan will expect us, so get some sleep, and I’ll come to get you when it’s time.”

“But-” Bellamy breaks off when Octavia shoots a glare in his direction. “Sure, O. We’ll see you in 4 hours.”

Murphy opens the door to the camper and steps inside. It’s nothing fancy, but it beats tents. The room that they step into has a folded out bed that seems like it would turn into seating when folded up, a small kitchen, and a small table with two chairs. There’s a small hallway that he heads down to find three doors. The one to the right opens into a bathroom with an honest to God shower. The door to the left turns out to be a closet, and the door at the end of the hallway opens into a room that is filled mostly by a bed. 

“Guess we’re sharing again?” Emori’s smile is soft as she glances up at him.

Murphy glances over his shoulder to see Bellamy has plopped down onto the bed in the main room and is already fast asleep. “Guess so.” Murphy gestures for Emori to go first and then slides the door shut behind them. He’s asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

* * *

A banging noise pulls Murphy from his dreams, where Emori had a starring role. As he blinks his eyes open, he finds Emori watching him. “Has anyone ever told you it’s weird to watch people sleeping?”

Emori shrugs. “And?”

“And nothing.” Murphy doesn’t bother fighting his grin. “Just wondering.”

There’s a loud knock on the door. “You better be decent because I’m coming in,” Octavia calls before sliding open the door.

“I’m not sure that I’m ever decent, O.” Murphy laughs when Octavia rolls her eyes at him.

“Get your ass out of bed. We’ve got thirty minutes until we’re meeting everyone. Bellamy is already showered and over at my place interrogating Lincoln, so I need to get back over there. You guys take a shower, and I’ll be back.” Octavia leaves before either of them can say another word. 

Murphy lets Emori shower first before jumping in himself and damn if he couldn’t get used to showering all the time. The water pressure isn’t great, but the water is warm and so much better than bathing in whatever body of water they find. When Octavia returns, both he and Emori have dressed. They follow her to a semi-truck where she opens a door on the side of the trailer, gesturing for them to enter.

Murphy’s mouth gapes open as he looks around—there is tech everywhere. He’s never seen so much tech in one place before. At the end of the trailer is a table, people standing around it. Bellamy is talking to a tall guy who appears to have fur instead of hair. He sees Roan and Monty chatting with a woman whose dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and the light reflects off of what appears to be red scales spread across various parts of her skin. A light-skinned black man sits at the table just observing the others and when his eyes land on the two of them, Murphy sees that the man’s eyes are slitted like his own. 

“Oh, good. You’re here.” Roan’s smile is welcoming as he gestures for them to join the others. “We’re just waiting on Clarke. She was just reinforcing the shields, and then she was heading here, so it shouldn’t be too long. Grab some food, and when she gets here, we’ll make introductions.”

Murphy doesn’t hesitate as he hurries over to the table, loading up a plate with food before sitting down and eating quickly. Everything tastes so damn good. He knows he’s being rude, ignoring the others as he stuffs his face, but he can’t bring himself to care. He doesn’t remember the last time that there had been this much food at his disposal, so he’s going to take advantage of it while he can.

He’s almost finished his food when the door flies open, and a petite blonde steps into the room, her skin emanating a soft glow. She’s beautiful, and the glow of her skin makes Murphy think of the angels that he’s read about. He feels like maybe it’s a requirement to be attractive to be a part of the City of Lights. His eyes dance around from face to face as he realizes just how hot everyone in the room is. 

“Clarke.” Roan nods at the blonde. “Come have a seat so we can make introductions and get down to business.” 

Everyone settles into seats around the table as Murphy makes quick work of the food left on his plate. The brunette that had been speaking with Roan and Monty drops into the unoccupied seat to his right, sending him a brisk nod before turning her attention to Roan.

“So obviously you’ve all met me, I’m Roan. My power is electricity, which helps keep this place running. Current leader.” Roan nods to the blonde, who has sat to his right. 

“Clarke. I create the shields. Used to be the leader, but decided I didn’t like it.” She laughs as she glances at Octavia, who is at her right. 

“Everyone knows me, but I’m Octavia and I have the power of invisibility.”

The furry man that sits next to her speaks next, “Lincoln. Pyro.” A flash of fire appears in his hand before disappearing.

“Bellamy. Super speed.” He flexes his wings. “And technically flight, I guess.”

“Emori. Telepath.”

Murphy doesn’t think he imagines the narrowing of a few people’s eyes. No one trusts telepaths. Not that he can blame them. Having someone privy to your every thought it scary, but he knows from his talks with Emori that she is excellent at shielding, and she has already begun working with him and Bellamy on how to shield their thoughts. “Murphy. Telekinesis.”

The brunette leans forward to glance at him, Emori and Bellamy. “Raven. I communicate with tech.”

“Seriously?” Murphy’s eyes widen. “That is so cool.”

Raven grins at him. “Yeah, it’s pretty useful here.” She waves her hand toward the tech that covers most of the space in the trailer.

Monty sits on Raven’s right and gives a quick wave. “Monty. Empath.”

“Miller. I can travel through the shadows.” 

Roan leans forward to look at Murphy, Bellamy, and Emori. “This is my council—well minus Octavia since she’s still new, but I’m pretty sure that she’ll be a member very soon. She’s proved herself to be indispensable so far. So what do you know about the City of Lights?”

“Just the usual rumors.” Bellamy shrugs as he leans back in his seat. “Filled with tech—which is obviously true and that it supposedly has the ability to take away our mutations.”

Clarke laughs. “Well, I can tell you now that rumor is false.”

“Kind of.” Raven shoots Clarke a look before turning her attention to Roan. “Do you mind?” When he shakes his head, Raven turns her attention back to them. “We’re not the founders of the City of Lights. A woman named Becca Franco founded the city shortly after the fall of society. She was a genius and had created an AI that she named ALIE. ALIE created a virtual world where everyone was the same and “normal.” No one felt any pain, and everyone was happy. But it wasn’t real. When Becca died, ALIE continued the City of Lights.”

“Until Raven came and wrecked that AI,” Clarke laughs. “We all arrived within weeks of one another, and we saw what was happening. It wasn’t healthy, so Raven disabled ALIE. And we started _this_ version of the City of Lights.”

“We move every few months so that the scavengers don’t find us.” Roan sighs. “It’s getting harder and harder to keep them off of our trail. But we’re working on figuring out a way to fix the world. Which I know sounds insane, but we have some of the brightest minds. There has to be a solution. If we can make our own little city function, why can’t we find a way to make the whole world function in the same way?”

Murphy laughs. “So, you’re trying to save the world?”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Raven asks.

Murphy holds his hands up in surrender. “Nothing, I guess. It just seems like a long shot.”

“It’s better than doing nothing,” Octavia says. “Don’t you want to save the world, Murphy?”

“I just want to survive.” Murphy shakes his head. “Saving the world sounds like more trouble than its worth.”

Raven scoffs. “That’s selfish.”

“I’ve never claimed to be anything but selfish.” Murphy laughs. 

“Well, if you want to stay here, then you’ll need to find a new mindset.” Roan glances between the three of them again. “Otherwise, you can’t stay. If you want to stay, you have to contribute. So you need to make a decision. You have 48 hours to make your decision—that’s when we’re moving again. If you have any questions, ask them, but I need to have your decision by then.”

Murphy leans back in his seat and watches as they answer Emori and Bellamy’s questions. If Bellamy and Emori stay, Murphy knows that he will also stay. He has no interest in saving the world, but he has an interest in protecting his friends and his soulmate. 

Within thirty minutes, the meeting breaks up, and that’s when Raven turns to him, a bite to her words. “So, are you going to be selfish, or are you going to work for the good of mankind?”

Murphy shrugs. “Haven’t decided yet. I tend to lean toward being selfish generally, but some people are worth changing for.” Murphy’s eyes slide to Emori, who is chatting with Clarke.

“Soulmate?” Raven asks, biting tone gone.

Murphy flashes her a lopsided grin. “One of apparently two.”

Raven’s eyes widen. “Really? I thought those were just fairy tales.”

Murphy pushes up the sleeve of his shirt to bare his soul mark to Raven. “It has more color than it used to, but still missing some.”

Raven gasps, drawing Murphy’s attention to her. She reaches out hesitantly, fingers brushing against the mark, and Murphy feels the skin beginning to burn. Holy shit. That means that Raven is his and Emori’s third soulmate. His eyes are wide as he watches the lightbulb color before meeting Raven’s eyes. She’s staring at him, her shock evident.

“Emori?” Murphy’s voice cracks a bit as he calls out.

Emori turns to him, a question in her eyes. “Did you need something, John?”

Before he can answer, Raven is standing and walking over to Emori, stroking her cheek when she reaches her. Emori lets out an audible gasp.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Clarke reaches for Emori, eyes wide with concern.

Raven grins. “They’re my soulmates.”

“Damn, Murph. The universe has been good to you,” Octavia quips. 

And she’s right. Two of the most beautiful women he’s ever met are his soulmates. Emori is fascinating. He doesn’t know much about Raven yet except that she’s smart and doesn’t have a problem telling people what she thinks. 

“Guess this means you’re staying in the City of Lights then?” Roan laughs.

“Yeah, I guess it does.” Murphy shakes his head. He has no idea what this means—what this new life will bring, but he’s excited to find out. It’s going to be a change for him—thinking about others as a whole before himself, but he’s willing to do it, which is only a semi-new feeling for him. Before, his family had consisted of just Octavia and Bellamy, but now it includes Emori and Raven. And he gets the sense that it will soon include all of the people in this room. 

Murphy has never put a lot of stock into soulmates—he’s never known anyone who has met theirs before. But now he understands the stories. He feels a pull toward both Raven and Emori—the desire to take care of them. The _need_ to make sure that they’re okay. He would never be able to walk away from them. It feels like they’re his whole world now, and he can’t say that he minds it. Is this what it is to love someone? He doesn’t know for sure, but he damn sure can’t wait to find out.


End file.
